Tag Archives: Deuteronomy

Deuteronomy 20, Ecclesiastes 12, Acts 11-12

— by on

“When you go out to war against your enemies… you shall not be afraid of them, for the Lord your God is with you, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt”.  Just like God was with the Israelites, to “give them the victory”, God is also with us.  Although our enemy has no horses and chariots, the influence of sin in our life is an overwhelming one, requiring constant assistance from God to control.  Unfortunately we don’t have the option the Israelites did of going home if we’re afraid.  We’re in a daily battle for our very lives.

“Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man” advises the wisest man. It’s a simple yet challenging statement, one that requires constant work to grow and develop our relationship with God.  But God has “granted repentance that leads to life” to us, so even in the face of great opposition, whether from without or within, Paul’s exhort to “remain faithful to the Lord with steadfast purpose” is what we should remember.  This daily struggle against sin will one day end, and if we remain faithful as best we can now, we will gain eternal life, filled with “gladness and joy, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.”

 

 

Deuteronomy 16

— by on

Today we read a summary of the Passover, feast of weeks and feast of booths. Events with highly specific instructions, “at the place that the Lord your God will choose, to make his name dwell in it, there you shall offer the Passover sacrifice.” Repeated again for other feasts.  Yet these were feasts designed to give the Israelites an opportunity to rejoice at their deliverance from slavery, from a life where every aspect was dictated and enforced, offering nothing but hard labour and death.

It would appear the Israelites had traded one form of slavery for another. But one was a slavery without hope, the other offered deliverance and a promised land.  We too have traded one form of slavery for another.  We “were the servants of sin, but… became the servants of righteousness.”  We have cause to rejoice, just as the Israelites did.  Freedom from a slavery that offers only death, instead a hope producing “fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life,” a motivating and encouraging hope that can help get us through the trials of life.

Deuteronomy 10-11, Ecclesiastes 4, Acts 1

— by on

Moses reminded Israel that the heaven and earth belonged to God, along with all that they contained. Yet God had chosen them to be His unique and precious people.  God would be with them, giving them the promised land, providing for their needs, if they would obey the commandments of God.

God has also chosen us to be part of His unique and precious people. Just as the disciples of Jesus were called to be “witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth”, so we are called to be witnesses of God’s love, mercy, goodness and the hope offered to all.

Unlike the oppressed, who “had no one to comfort them”, we have an incredible hope. In a world where so many are without hope, it is our responsibility to share the hope we’ve been offered.

Deuteronomy 8-9, John 20-21

— by on

Moses reminds the Israelites that it was God that had cared for them throughout the 40 years in the wilderness. He provided them with food, ensured their clothing didn’t wear out and their feet didn’t swell. He was giving the Israelites the land of Canaan because of the wickedness of the current inhabitants, not the righteousness of the Israelites.

This is a good lesson for us to remember. God hasn’t offered us salvation because of anything we’ve done. We’re constantly cared for and provided for, offered an incredible hope. We are among those “who have not seen and yet have believed” in the work that Christ did in order for us to have this hope.  It is up to us to respond to Jesus’ invitation to “follow me”, confident in the grace of God, trusting in His care, reflecting His glory to those around us.

Deuteronomy 6-7, John 19

— by on

Moses reminds Israel of the underlying principle of the Law, to love God with one’s whole being. They were told that this principle “shall be on your heart”, represented symbolically on their forehead, hand, doorway  and gate. It was to be taught to their children. It would be “righteousness for us”, Moses as well as the rest of the people, to remember this commandment and to live it in their lives.

In John 19 we read of the ultimate embodiment of that commandment, demonstrated perfectly in Jesus’ willing sacrifice.  Let’s follow that example, putting God’s principles in our hearts.  “God has chosen you to be a people for his treasured possession” were words said to Israel, and we’ve been given the chance to be a part of that nation.

Deuteronomy 2, John 12

— by on

Moses writes “these 40 years the Lord your God has been with you. You have lacked nothing.” Although the Israelites complained numerous times, God was watching over them and keeping them safe until they reached the promised land.

We can be like those Israelites, taking every opportunity to complain, or we can instead be strengthened and encouraged by the knowledge that God is also with us. We lack nothing we need to serve Him.

Jesus came into the world as light, so that whoever believed on him wouldn’t remain in darkness. Let us “believe in the light, that we may become sons of light”, that we might reflect God’s character, knowing He is watching over us.